Health and Learning News and Updates

News

Student Wellness Council Promotes Healthier Choices for Teens: High school students at Lackawanna Trail High School have created their own Student Wellness Council to promote wellness and healthy eating in their school district. Read how students have included broadcasting health tips on a radio show and selling fruit smoothies during lunch at school in their activities.

Las Cruces Mayor Helps Kids Stay Healthy: Las Cruces, N.Mex., Mayor Ken Miyagishima is showing his support for the Healthy Kids Las Cruces program by encouraging the town's 3rd graders to develop healthy habits and live healthy lifestyles. Read more about the 5-2-1-0 Challenge and how the mayor is spreading the word about healthy eating and physical activity to the community.

ADHD Rates Rise Among Children, CDC Says: A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report indicates that about 9.5 percent of 73,000 parents surveyed in 2007–08 reported having a child diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, up from nearly 8 percent in 2003. The report, involving children ages 4 to 17, shows that about two-thirds of those with ADHD are receiving medication.

Bully Free Canada: Canadians will recognize November 14–20, 2010, as National Bullying Awareness Week. BullyingAwarenessWeek.org offers resources for planning local bullying awareness campaigns. Example day plans are available for each day of the week.

Middle School, a Developmentally Critical Time for Health Education: The Michigan Departments of Education and Community Health developed a two-page fact sheet to help administrators, teachers, and parents speak about the importance of health education at the middle school level. The fact sheet discusses why the middle school is a developmentally critical time and includes risk-behavior data and other online resources. It also serves as a response to measures some districts are taking to cut or reduce middle school health education due to limited resources.

Take Action

Sixth Biennial Childhood Obesity Conference: The California Department of Public Health, California Department of Education, the University of California-Berkeley, Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Center for Weight and Health, The California Endowment, and Kaiser Permanente have joined together to host a conference on childhood obesity from June 28 through July 1, 2011, in San Diego, Calif. Leading experts in pediatric obesity will showcase the latest research, evidence-based best practices, and policy and environmental change strategies. Early discount registration ends January 1, 2011. Register and find out more.

Healthy Playground Makeover Sweepstakes:Enter the sweepstakes from Energy Balance:101 and get a chance to win the grand prize of $10,000 to redo a playground, $25,000 in merchandise from Sports Authority, and more. Five runner-up prizes are also available. Deadline to enter is December 1, 2010.

Are childhood hunger, ADHD, bullying, and safe places to play important issues in your school or community?

Healthy School Communities is a worldwide ASCD effort to promote the integration of health and learning and the benefits of school-community collaboration. It is part of a large, multiyear plan to shift public dialogue about education from a narrow, curriculum-centric and accountability system focus to a whole child approach that encompasses all factors required for successful student outcomes. Visit the Healthy School Communities group on ASCD EDge and share everything from ideas and solutions to common concerns.